TuneIn Radio: The Only Radio App I’ll Ever Recommend

The radio is a very important medium for me. It gives me the ability to quickly receive my daily dose of entertainment, music and news at the same time. And the best part about the radio is that you have such a wide choice on what you would like to listen to. However, most built in radio apps are poor and that’s why I use TuneIn Radio on every mobile device I own.

First discovering the app on my Nexus 7 I soon downloaded TuneIn on my Windows Phone too. Since that point I’ve been using the app everyday while on transport or waiting for lessons to begin. Read on to find out how great TuneIn Radio can be on your Windows device!

What Does TuneIn Radio Offer?

TuneIn Radio collects over 70,000 radio stations from all over the world into one single application. It’s highly likely that every radio station you’ve heard of will be available at the touch of a button. TuneIn Radio allows you to literally “TuneIn” to everywhere and reinvents the old method of searching for your favourite stations online — making the whole process simpler.

For people who are always on the go, like me, you really don’t have the time to be fiddling around looking for shows to listen to. You need to be able to access stations instantly without wasting too much and that’s exactly what TuneIn Radio offers.

The opening page on TuneIn Radio.

The same service is available for users who want TuneIn on their home computers. This is reached by visiting the TuneIn Radio Website. This links up to your TuneIn account so you can view your favourite stations much quicker.

Creating An Account

If you’re only going to use TuneIn Radio on one device then creating an account may be an irrelevant thing to do. However, if you’re likely to be using the app on multiple devices then having an account will make using the app easier. Benefits include being able to have all your favourite stations together.

If you would like to create an account you will need to make this on the Official webpage. To link your account to your device you need to go into the settings in the application. Here there are instructions on how to link devices together and a special code which you’ll need to type in.

Navigating Around The Application

Opening up the application you’ll soon see that finding radio stations isn’t a difficult task. At the top you have a search bar where you type in a specific name, genre or even a location. Below that you have categories such as local radio, talk show and podcasts.

Once finding your station you can then add this to your favourites or something unique to Windows Phones which is pinning the station to your homepage. Giving you the ability to start listening with one tap.

When listening to a show you will be face with this interface.

If you slide along you can view the lineup for the rest of the day and the Twitter feed for the station. I love the Twitter integration in TuneIn Radio as you can see everyone who has mentioned the show. It’s also a great way to find a radio station’s Twitter ID so you can then use that to Tweet the show.

The final tabs are, a list of related stations and the option to change stream if there are multiple options. Giving you the choice to change the quality is great for the times when your connection is really limited.

Interface

The main reasons I use TuneIn radio over other similar apps, there are a lot of them, is that the interface works perfectly with the concept. Every button and option just screams quality, but simplicity at the same time. This interface is replicated on every version of the app to avoid confusion.

Setting up Presets for your favourite shows is an easy task.

The chances of not finding the station you want are highly unlikely in TuneIn Radio. This is because of the massive choice and the ease of use of everything. And even if you don’t have a specific station in mind, you’ll probably find something you enjoy anyway.

Some Things I Would Like To See

For the more serious radio listeners, on the Android and iOS platforms, there is the choice of upgrading to TuneIn Pro. This is a separate application which gives you the chance to record and rewind shows. Meaning if you don’t have the chance to listen to your favourite show you can still record it for listening at a more convenient time — this is great on my Nexus 7. However, there is no option for TuneIn Pro on Windows Devices.

This is highly disappointing as the Pro version is a great option which has been successful on other operating systems. I really hope that the developers of TuneIn radio decide to launch this on our devices too.

Another thing which is severely lacking in the Windows Application is some nice added extras I had become accustomed to on my Android device. The first is that you can link up Twitter on Android and instantly Tweet the show within the application. There is also a “Car Mode” available where you have bigger buttons on a completely different interface. The final is that the developers have put a lot more effort into designing the layout on Android. While the interface is nice on Windows, it’s nothing compared to Android. These three simple additions are quite small but would really improve the app. I hope as time goes on more of these “Premium-Like” features which I take for granted on Android become available on Windows too.

The Car Mode is something I miss in the Windows App.

Wrap-Up

For me, as a student, TuneIn radio is perfect for so many reasons. While simplicity and the extent of stations are important to me, the main reason is that I always have access to entertainment. Entertainment which I don’t need to search tirelessly for, but entertainment which is there at the touch of a button.

TuneIn is a fantastic application which I’ve recommended to many friends who now love and use the app constantly. Because of its small capacity and extensive possibilities TuneIn radio is definitely the perfect app for anyone. While there are negatives which concern missing features and options, I can’t fault the app too much. TuneIn still serves its purpose of being a radio application with or without add-ons.

Thanks for reading! What radio app do you use on your Windows Phone? Let us know below.

TuneIn
Reviewed by Samuel Scott on
May 9.
TuneIn Radio is the best radio app for your Windows Device. By giving you quick access to all your favourite shows the app definitely meets all the requirements of a great radio.
Rating:
8 out of
10